Dental caries afflicts people world-wide. In some cases, dental caries can be repaired through a process that involves removing decayed portions of a tooth and replacing the removed portions with a filling. Some cases of severe dental caries require the application of a dental crown. A dental crown can also be used to restore a tooth that has suffered a significant fracture, or has undermined dentinal support. In a typical crowning process, an impression of targeted tooth to be treated, surrounding teeth, and an opposing arch are taken. A dentist will then use a local anesthetic to numb the area around the targeted tooth. The dentist can then use a drill or laser to remove decayed portions of the tooth and perhaps other portions of the tooth. The dentist can then prepare the remaining portions of the tooth by isolating the tooth of bacteria, blood and/or debris. The dentist can then take an impression of the prepared tooth. A crown is created using impression models, but the crown can sometimes take days or weeks to manufacture, usually at a location remote from the dentist's office. When the crown is fabricated and delivered to the dentist, it can be inserted over the prepared tooth during a subsequent office visit. For example, a bonding agent (e.g., dental cement) can be used to adhere the crown to the prepared tooth.
In some circumstances, the dentist can insert a temporary crown over the prepared tooth after the impressions have been taken to allow a patient to eat and bite in a relatively normal fashion and protect sensitive dentin between the time the impressions are taken and the permanent crown is available for insertion over the prepared tooth. Such temporary crowns may be prefabricated in generic shapes and sizes by a third party supplier, and then stored in inventory at the dentist's office.